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'Never quit'
Colts stumble, Quakers improve to 4-3 overall
(Published October 20, 2003)

By DAVID STEINBACHER
Special to The Common Denominator

Coolidge Head Football Coach Jason Lane has some simple advice for his young Colts squad, which fell to 2-6 overall with their 33-6 defeat Oct. 18 at the hands of Sidwell Friends’ Quakers: Never quit.

The Colts of the D.C. Interscholastic Athletic Association, playing a non-league game, went to the locker room at halftime down by only one touchdown, 14-6, after a tough first half against the 2002 Mid-Atlantic Conference champion Quakers. But Coolidge fell apart offensively and defensively in the third quarter, then was unable to sustain its comeback effort in the fourth quarter.

"We’ve got three more games to play. ...We’re going to have to avoid the mental breakdowns and we’re going to have to teach these very young players to never quit no matter what the status of the game is," Coach Lane said at the game’s conclusion.

The Quakers, undefeated at 2-0 in MAC play, improved their overall record to 4-3 with the victory.

"We wanted to establish the run in the first half," said Sidwell Head Coach John Simon.

The Quakers scored first- and second-quarter touchdowns on short scoring runs, with senior running back Rhody Collins taking the ball in from the 5-yard line and junior quarterback Nasser Muhammad scoring on a 3-yard run. Kicker Dekonti Sayeh converted both PATs.

"We ran the ball well today," Muhammad said after the game. "Collins, myself, senior Jason Edwards and junior Ramzy Suleiman all ran well."

Coolidge got on the scoreboard late in the second quarter, when junior quarterback Dorian Maxwell connected with freshman wide receiver Kobi Williams on a 15-yard scoring strike.

"It was a quick slant route. Dorian made a good throw," Williams said.

Maxwell said he "faked a toss and [the Quakers’] linebacker shifted to the right. That left Kobi open in the seam and he made a real good catch."

"We were right there with them at halftime after Kobi’s score," said Coach Lane.

Things did not go quite so well for the Colts in the second half. The Quakers increased their lead to 20-6 when Collins scored another touchdown – this time from 57 yards out. Kobi Williams stepped up and blocked the PAT for Coolidge, following Collins’ score. The Colts punted eight plays later, after converting one first down.

Sidwell then embarked on a seven play, 87-yard scoring drive and found paydirt when backup senior quarterback Bradley Pearson connected with junior running back Stephen Brownlee on a 43-yard strike.
The PAT sailed wide right, and the Quakers led the Colts 26-0 late in the third quarter.

The Colts fumbled the ball away on their final drive of the third quarter. Sidwell converted one final time early in the fourth quarter when starting quarterback Muhammad connected with Pearson, playing wide receiver, on a 19-yard scoring strike. This time, Sayeh converted his third of five PATs, and Sidwell led 33-6 with 11:05 remaining in the fourth.

Coolidge moved the ball better offensively in the fourth quarter, but it was too little too late.
The Colts have 44 players on their varsity roster, but only seven are seniors.
Coach Lane’s team includes 19 juniors, seven sophomores and 11 freshmen.

"We’ve definitely got a young team. We just can’t turn things around instantly," Lane said.

Meanwhile, Sidwell got good performances out of several of its top players.

"Our kids stepped up and played very well today," said Coach Simon. "Tackles Alfred Johnson and Alex Stewart, guards Ben Ifshim and David Daise and center Jimmy Bierman all opened some holes on offense and all played real well."

For Coolidge, junior defensive tackle Leroy Homes and freshman linebacker Brooklyn Lynn each recovered Sidwell fumbles, and senior tight end Obdulio Moronta and freshman wide receiver Anthony Jones each recovered Coolidge offensive fumbles.

Offensively, freshman quarterback Andre Glanville also played a number of snaps for the young Colts. Defensively, junior Colt cornerback Troy Boston made a number of key tackles. Boston also handled the punting duties for Coolidge.

"Troy Boston had a very good game. Some of our very young guys such as Brooklyn Lynn at middle linebacker and Kobi Williams at wide receiver also distinguished themselves," said Coach Lane.

The Coolidge offensive line including – tackles Leroy Holmes and Marcus Parker, guards Brian Reid and Musa Conteh and center Haymon Johnson – opened up some holes for the Coolidge backs, primarily 200-pound junior tailback Antoine Cook.